Archive for 2018

Sectarian Non-Entrepreneurs: The Experience of Everyday Sectarianism in Bahrain and Kuwait
Thomas Fibiger
Middle East Critique, Volume 27, Issue 3, September 2018

The assault on Pakistan media ahead of vote

Imagine waking up in New York without the New York Times, newspaper kiosks shut down and hawkers off the streets. That is what many Pakistanis have been feeling for months as Dawn – Pakistan’s largest English-language newspaper – has disappeared from their breakfast tables.

Shi’i Studies | The University of Chicago

The University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium is an endeavor of the Shiʿi Studies Group, established in 2010, to provide an interdisciplinary, non-area-specific forum for the discussion of research on Shiʿism by faculty and graduate students at the University and beyond.

1.The Faculty of Arts (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-arts) of the University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest institution for teaching and research in the humanities and the largest in terms of the structure and range of disciplines. It is also a significant international community fostering research, education and cultural interaction.
The Faculty of Arts invites applications for the position of

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / PROFESSOR IN ISLAMIC AND MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

Due date

28.08.2018 23:59 EEST

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/assistant-professor-associate-professor-professor-islamic-and-middle-eastern-studies

2. The ERC-funded research project “Stories of Survival: Recovering the Connected Histories of Eastern Christianity in the Early Modern World” at the University of Oxford is currently advertising three one-year positions for postdoctoral Research Associates. The postholders will contribute to building a database of Syriac and Arabic manuscripts so excellent knowledge of at least one of these languages is essential. The application closes on Monday, 9 July at noon British Summer Time (1 pm Central European Summer Time). Further information as well as access to the online application form is available at https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form.

The project’s principal investigator, Dr John-Paul Ghobrial (john-paul.ghobrial@history.ox.ac.uk), will be happy to answer informal questions about this role.

3. Monarchy and Modernity since 1500

University of Cambridge

8-9 January 2019

[The conference announced on the cfp below was originally designed for Europeanists, but was opened up to all world areas following multiple requests by non-Europeanists to participate. The cfp has therefore been revised and the deadline extended to August 15, 2018. Applications from anthropologists, legal scholars, political scientists and above all non-Europeanists are especially welcome. Please note that all proposals previously submitted remain valid.]

Europe’s past is overwhelmingly monarchical, yet the monarchies that remain in place today hardly resemble those that governed Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. Modernity has transformed monarchy from a matter of unquestioned and often sacred fact to a matter of largely secular and usually democratic choice. If the words remain the same – along with many of the families, their titles, properties and places of residence – their meaning has changed profoundly over time and across countries, so much so that, along the centuries, the working mechanisms, functions and powers of European monarchy have been transformed. The academic literature, however, seldom measures this distance between monarchy’s various historical meanings and its surprisingly frequent manifestations today.

In theoretical and speculative disciplines, the lack of inquiry into monarchy’s significance is due partly to disciplinary divisions. Political theorists, intellectual historians, experts in jurisprudence and art and literary critics rarely delve into the subject of monarchy, while historians of monarchy tend to focus on chronology rather than concepts. Monarchy’s own nature has helped determine these divisions.With its providentialist, semi-magic and mysterious foundations in the divine right of kings, monarchism is a double paradox, a form of political theory that is at once anti-political and anti-theoretical. Innovatively, this conference seeks to break disciplinary barriers by combining the outlooks of monarchical specialists on the one hand, and of social, cultural, literary and political theorists on the other.

Proceeding from the premise that the nature of things is best known, and their development most determined, during critical times, this conference centers on three (long) key moments in the history of modern European monarchy: the English Revolution, the French Revolution, and the mainstreaming of republicanism during the first half of the twentieth century. These moments, however, are only referential, and presentations studying the reinvention, representation and conceptualisation of monarchy during other modern periods, from 1500 to the present, are also welcome, with Renaissance subjects possibly serving as introits and contemporary ones as epilogues to the conference.

The main lines of inquiry are twofold, one directed at monarchy’s political-legal significance, and the other at its socio-cultural, psychological, religious, literary and spiritual roles. The political-legal line of inquiry can include – without being limited to – European monarchy’s historical relationship to legislation and the administration of justice, as well as democratic, republican, and aristocratic traditions. The theological/sociological/anthropological perspective is instead concerned with monarchy as a series of rituals, processions, celebrations and formal procedures that represent sovereignty, organise time and relationships, lend nations a sense of identity, and connect individuals emotionally with sacred spaces and powers.

Studies of non-European monarchical traditions are likewise accepted, preferably with reference to European ones.

Contributions may address one or more of the following themes but are not limited to them:

1. Monarchy in political thought
2. Monarchy and constitutionalism
3. Monarchy in its relation with religion, theology and spirituality
4. The relationship between spiritual and temporal powers
5. Royalism vs. monarchism
6. National and sovereign representation
7. The royal imaginary, including literary representations of monarchy
8. Monarchy and property
9. Monarchy and material culture: art, fashion and the built environment
10. Royal feasts, rituals, processions and celebrations
11. Women and monarchy
12. Non-European monarchical traditions, preferably with reference to European ones.

We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations, which will be revised subsequently for publication in a peer-reviewed collective volume. Graduate students are welcome to participate, and papers in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish are accepted, although English is encouraged to facilitate communication. The conference will be held at the University of Cambridge on 8-9 January 2019. Please email a 200-word abstract and one-page CV to Carolina Armenteros (cra22@cam.ac.uk) by 15 August 2018.

4. International Conference: “Sources of Pluralism in Islamic Thought”, Casablanca Seminars, Casablanca, 9-11 July 2018

As a global religion, Islam and its jurisprudence have offered heterogeneous responses to a range of questions facing different faiths and communities. Modernity imposed new questions upon religious scholars, theologians and philosophers, demanding of them a new version of pluralism in the theological and political arenas.

Program: https://www.resetdoc.org/event/program-casablanca/

5. Assistant Professor in the History of the Modern Middle East, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

The successful candidate will show outstanding potential as an innovative scholar and researcher, as evidenced by their record of intellectual engagement, published work, and/or work in progress. A strong commitment to teaching excellence at both the graduate and undergraduate level is also required.

Deadline for applications: 1 September 2018. Information https://www.hr.ubc.ca/jobs/faculty.php?job_id=30298

6. Assistant Professor in Gender and Social Movements in the Islamic World, Queen´s University

We welcome applicants whose research examines the rise of diverse social movements that have challenged authoritarian states, ailing development models, and cultural and political norms around gender and sexuality throughout the Islamic World. The geographic focus is open. The preferred start date is July 1, 2019.

Deadline for applications: 31 August 2018. Information: https://www.queensu.ca/devs/gender-and-social-movements-islamic-world-tenure-track-position-applications-due-31aug2018

7. Articles on “Popular Culture” for “Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies”

Competitive manuscripts: 1) substantiate a thesis based on original scholarship; 2) are conceptually coherent and clear; 3) are grounded in primary sources (literary, visual, archival, textual, ethnographic, artistic, legal, and so on); and 4) engage with pertinent questions that emerge from region-focused or transnational feminist and sexuality scholarship.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 July 2018. Information: http://jmews.org/call-papers-popular-culture/

8. Association for Middle East Anthropology Graduate Student Paper Prize

The AMEA Graduate Student Paper Prize will be publicly announced at the AMEA Annual Meeting at MESA. The winner will receive a $100 cash award and a certificate. The winner will also be invited to submit the paper for publication in the journal “Anthropology of the Middle East”.

Deadline for submissions: 20 July 2018. Please send your submissions to to Shively@kutztown.edu.

9. Association for Middle East Anthropology Dissertation Award

The AMEA Dissertation Award will be given to the author whose work is judged to provide the most significant and potentially influential contribution to Middle East anthropology. Books of exceptional courage and potential impact beyond the field will be given special consideration. The AMEA Dissertation Award will be publicly announced at the AMEA business meeting at the MESA annual meeting in 2018. The winner will receive a $200 cash award and a certificate.

Deadline for submissions: 20 July 2018. Please send your dissertation to Shively@kutztown.edu.

The Making of a Marjaʿ: Sīstānī and Shiʿi Religious Authority in the Contemporary Age ” Brill Online

Anyone considering the question of religious authority among the contemporary Shiʿa not least in Iraq will recognize the paramount significance of Ayatollah Sīstānī, described as the most important marjaʿ in the world.

Shooting oneself in one’s own foot: Pakistan’s failed effort to evade terrorism finance listing

The Pakistani government’s removal of a virulently anti-Shiite militant from its terrorism list at the very moment that an international money laundering and terrorism finance watchdog was deciding to put the country on a watchlist highlights Pakistan’s struggle to come to grips with militancy.

Call for applicants

Interdisciplinary masterclass on:
Shiism, Death and Funerary Material Religion: cemeteries, tombstones and burial ceremonies

Conveners:
Pedram Khosronejad (Associate Director of Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies, Oklahoma State University)
Asghar Montazerolghaem (Director of Safavid Studies Center, University of Isfahan)

On the occasion of the International Conference on Safavid Studies, which will be held in the city of Isfahan in May 2019, the Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies (IPGS) program of Oklahoma State University, with the collaboration of the Safavid Studies Center of the University of Isfahan, will organize an interdisciplinary masterclass on Shiism, Death and Funerary Material Religion: cemeteries, tombstones and burial ceremonies which will be held a week before the main conference.
The aim of this masterclass is to introduce participants to the principal elements of studying death and dying from the viewpoint of Iranian Shiism since the Safavid period. During the six-day program (30 h) participants will be introduced to:
– The history of death and dying in Shiite Iran;
– Methodologies of studying cemeteries and their funerary landscape;
– Saints, saints’ shrines and sacred topography;
– Funerary epigraphy and the methodology of analyzing tombstone texts and symbolic images.
The entire masterclass will be organized under the governance of the University of Isfahan and will primarily be held in the cemetery of Takht-e Foulad and its tombstone museum. The Takht-e Foulad complex is one of the biggest cemeteries of the Shiite world which holds not only the tombs of many scientists, philosophers, and theologians since the medieval period, but also contains the shrines, Tekiyeh and funerary complex of Ulema, Sufi masters, and mystic leaders of the Islamic periods of Iran.
Complementary to the theory classes and fieldwork will be the visitation of other Abrahamic saints’ shrines, churches, synagogues and cemeteries of the city of Isfahan for further comparative studies.
Participants:
This program is only open to university-based scholars, registered students, and official researchers (e.g. museum curators). A selected group of participants will present the results of their work in the form of a special panel during the main conference. The conference fee will be waived for the selected participants.
Visa:
The University of Isfahan will issue an official invitation for all participants, who should apply for their own visas individually. The University of Isfahan has no responsibility in this regard and cannot guarantee the result of related applications.
Accommodation:
For the duration of the masterclass (not the main conference), all participants will stay in the university campus inside the city of Isfahan.
The registration fee (including: program fee, accommodation, food, and transportation for the duration of the masterclass)
– Registered students: $ 600
– University scholars and researchers: $ 1000
* The registration fee should be paid in cash during the first day of arrival at the university campus.
*If any participants wish to join the main conference, they should pay separately for their conference registration and accommodation fees.
Deadline for preliminary registration:
October 2018.
For further enquiries, to complete your preliminary registration and reserve your place, please contact Dr. P. Khosronejad (Pedram.khosronejad@okstate.edu).
For further enquiries regarding the main conference, please visit (www.safavica.ir) or contact (info@safavica.ir).

1.The University of Edinburgh seeks to appoint a Lecturer in Arabic and Middle Eastern Cultures, based in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) (http://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/islamic-middle-eastern) and teaching within IMES.

The lecturer will provide teaching and dissertation supervision at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and will commence on 1st September 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will have expertise in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.

This is a full-time, 35 hours, open-ended position.
Salary: £39,992 to £47,722 per annum.

The closing date for receipt of applications is no later than 5pm (GMT) 19th July 2018. We anticipate presentations and interviews will be held on 21st August 2018.

Informal queries are welcome and should be sent via email for the attention of Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz, Head of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, to llc@ed.ac.uk.

For further details please see below:

https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=044183

2. Demographics : Middle East & North Africa
Authors:     Thomas Schrott; Wolfgang Taucher; Peter Webinger; Alexander Schahbasi; Mathias Vogl
Publisher:     Vienna: Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior,
Date: 2018.
Series:     Regiones et res publicae : country analysis reports, 6

37 pages, maps
ISBN:      9783903109094

Table of contents:
Preface 5
North Africa 6
Morocco 8
Algeria 10
Tunisia 12
Libya   14
Egypt   16
Middle East 18
Turkey 20
Syria  22
Jordan 24
Iraq   26
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 28
Afghanistan 30
Pakistan    32
Sources     35
Imprint     37

See: http://www.bfa.gv.at/files/broschueren/publicae_demographics_neu_WEB.pdf

3. Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Persian and Arabic Manuscripts 

The Alwaleed Centre at the University of Edinburgh (www.alwaleed.ed.ac.uk) seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, on a fixed term, non-renewable three year basis, to commence in September 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter (subject to negotiation).

The appointment will be in the field of Islamic Civilisation, more specifically manuscript studies. The post will be based in the Centre for Research Collections in the University of Edinburgh’s Main Library. Objectives will be jointly set by the Alwaleed Centre and the Centre for Research Collections (CRC).

This is a full-time (35 hours per week) position on Grade UE07 and attracts a salary from £32,548 to £38,833 per annum.

The closing date for receipt of applications is no later than 5 pm (GMT) Monday, 23rd July 2018 . We anticipate interviews will be held on 22nd August 2018.

Informal queries are welcome and should be sent via email for the attention of Mr Tom Lea, Alwaleed Outreach and Projects Manager, to llc@ed.ac.uk.

The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to addressing an equalities, diversity and inclusion agenda.

Further information and details on how to apply can be found at the following link: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=044243

4. Open Access Newspaper Archive: الهدى = al-Hoda = al-Hudá = Jarīdat al-Hudá [1898-1904]

الهدى = al-Hoda = al-Hudá = Jarīdat al-Hudá
Publisher:     Philadelphia, Pa. : N.A. Mokarzel,

http://amirmideast.blogspot.com/2018/06/open-access-newspaper-archive-al-hoda.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AccessToMideastAndIslamicResourcesamir+%28Access+to+Mideast+and+Islamic+Resources+%28AMIR%29%29

5. Annoncer l’ouverture de CartOrient, atlas numérique de l’Asie occidentale, du Caucase et de l’Asie centrale www.cartorient.cnrs.fr.

CartOrient propose :

• Un atlas interactif comprenant des cartes commentées
• Des atlas thématiques
• Une collection de cartes et d’atlas numérisés

CartOrient est une publication scientifique (ISSN : 2557-1818) : un comité de rédaction évalue l’ensemble des cartes et des textes avant leur publication. CartOrient est développé au sein du laboratoire « Mondes iranien et indien », avec le soutien de l’USPC, du CNRS et de l’INALCO et le concours de « Résurgences ».

Nous vous en souhaitons une bonne lecture.

(also in English: http://cartorient.cnrs.fr/?lang=en )

6. Teaching Fellow in Religion, Augustana College, Illinois

We seek a candidate with expertise in Islam. Additional expertise and focuses might include one or more of the following: Muslim-Christian interactions, Inter-faith dialogue, Gender and Religion, and contemporary Islamic movements within and beyond North America and Western Europe. Candidates should have graduate-level training in theories and methods pertaining to the study of religion.

Position open until filled. Information: http://www.augustanafaculty.org/career_positions.php?cat=3&id=208

7. Second Annual Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium: “Islam in Modern Regional Contexts”, George Mason University, 11 October 2018

The Colloquium invites advanced graduate students in social sciences and humanities to present book reviews of recent noteworthy publications in the broader field of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. Each colloquium participant will be reimbursed up to $600 to cover travel and accommodation costs.

Deadline for applications: 30 June 2018. Information: https://www.themaydan.com/2018/06/cfp-second-annual-graduate-student-book-review-colloquium-islamic-middle-eastern-studies-deadline-june-30-2018/

8. BORDER CROSSING
Historians of Islamic Art Association 2018 Biennial Symposium
October 25-27, 2018

Yale University

New Haven, CT

The 2018 HIAA symposium will bring together an international group of established and emerging scholars of Islamic art and architecture to present new research on the theme of “Border Crossing.” Very often the field has been defined as one centered on select regions of the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia, and focusing on traditional media and categories, such as the decorative arts, manuscript studies, and architecture. Less attention has been paid to regions on the so-called peripheries, including, for example, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, or to disciplines that are not often associated with the field, such as film and anthropology.

“Border Crossing” is an invitation to rethink the field of Islamic art and architecture by interrogating the ideas of translation, transmission, and transgression that are suggested by the theme. Among the questions that may be asked are: How can this lens help us rethink works that form the “canon” of Islamic art? What is at stake in crossing disciplinary borders? What is lost and what is gained in abandoning traditional academic parameters? What may be learned through literal border crossings, whether they are by conservation authorities or refugees? As the works of several contemporary artists show, border crossings are ultimately ethical positions taken to evince the human condition itself. They thus provide potential to rethink the arts and cultures of the Islamic world, as well as the ways in which we study them today.

Kishwar Rizvi and Alex Dika Seggerman, co-organizers
Christiane Gruber, Yael Rice, and Ünver Rüstem, committee members

For complete program and to register, please visit https://hiaa2018.yale.edu/

Al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā’s Responses to Theological Questions posed by Abū Yaʿlā Sallār [Sālār] b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Daylamī (d. 448/1057): A Critical Edition ” Brill Online

Among the responsa collections by al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā that still remain to be edited are the Jawābāt al-masāʾil al-Sallāriyya, which consist of responsa to eight questions most of which revolve around issues related to the subtleties of kalām. On the basis of the two earliest witnesses of this text, MS Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Petermann II [Pm.]

For the table of contents of Volume 2, Issue 1-2, 2018, click here.

Two courses are offered in Iran:

1. Shi’a Course in Qom (23-31 August): http://shiacourse.urd.ac.ir/
2. Women’s and Gender Studies (24-30 August): http://shortcourse.wrc.ir/

and an ‘Intensive Course on Shi’a Studies’ in Vienna (1-5 August):
http://shiacourse.urd.ac.ir/